#And traditional gameplay or legacies bore me

[smallsimmer]

Idk what kinda content I wanna post

[stefsimz]

hii! I love your sims and your content a lot <3 I was wondering what you do to keep your gameplay interesting

hi, that's so sweet, i'm so happy to hear you're enoying my sims as well <333

as to my ways of keeping my gameplay interesting; first, i've always loved playing the game realistically, so i make sure to give my sims their own routines, such mundane stuff like always brushing their teeth, having their cup of coffee in the morning, taking lunch to work with them, doing laundry etc, that helps me develop my sims' personalities as everyone has their own little habits and that makes me much more connected to the sims i play with.

having at least *some* backstories to my sims helps to keep me interested, but i also use a lot of gameplay mods (all listed in my resources page) that are very useful with storytelling; rpo, child birth mod, healthcare redux, first impressions, wicked whims - those are probably the biggest mods in terms of storytelling for me, 10/10 recommend trying them out!!

addionally, i like my ocs to have some extended family, college friends, neighbours and make sure to sometimes play with their households, customize their homes, get them careers and other relationships, i also use the hell out of the in game calendar/holiday system, i add my own holidays and traditions that suit specific saves

and to give some background to all this; i'm someone who is super nostalgic and feels very connected to my sims and their stories, i usually play only one or two saves at a time, truly cannot focus on more than that, i would get too disconnected and would lose interest if i played too many saves jzjzj but i know a lot of people feel the opposite way and get bored playing legacies or challanges, so it all depends on how you like to play of course◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜

[midnitestar]

the fixer upper ranch challenge, by midnitestar.

hello! i started this challenge as more of a personal use (a sort of guideline if you will) in order to get me engaged with the horse ranch gameplay and to avoid using cheats or getting bored. then i figured that making a detailed & structured challenge would be even better, so here it is!

⸻ main premise ⊱

your city-dweller sim suddenly is made aware that their grandparent, who they have never met, has inherited them their estate at chestnut ridge, a vast 64x64 lot with an abandoned ranch and lots of family history to discover at town.

the objective of this challenge is to start from the bottom at chestnut ridge and become the most influential family in town by the end of three generations.

make money with the ranch's resources, win over the judgemental seniors, and gradually renovate the estate until it's good as new.

you can see this as sort of a mini legacy challenge, honestly FURC (fixer upper ranch challenge) is a mixture of everything...

this challenge is still in process, so i'll be updating this post as i think of new & concrete ideas for each generation. feel free to join me with your own gameplay at #fixer upper ranch challenge, ask questions or even share suggestions here!

more information under the cut 🎔

at all times avoid using money, skill or relationship cheats (or any kind of cheat for that matter). you will only get 50,000 simoleons at the start of generation 1 as part of your sim's inheritance / or use freerealestate to get your sim's grandparent's estate for free, and set 20,000 simoleons. this will be your renovations budget.

your sim cannot travel to any other world, they must complete their activities and affairs inside chestnut ridge.

follow the intended order of the generations. there's just three of them, and their storylines are linear!

add a mayor, a sheriff, an influential family and some small-ranch townies in your world. this will enrich your gameplay and your sim's relationships! (read: drama)

start with an actual abandoned ranch lot. with a bunch of junk and stuff. i recommend grandma's abandoned ranch by ralucii and Abandoned Ranch by enikobalogh in the gallery!

feel free to use any cc or mods that you want to improve your experience, as long as they don't give you an unfair advantage over other players.

don't get a job for your sim, either full time or half time. however, you may get money through other traditional rags-to-riches methods, such as gardening, frog breeding, fishing, selling other collectibles, etc.

⸻ generation 1 : the newcomer ⊱

you grew up an only child and raised by a single, widowed mother, and although you didn't mind much your father's absence, the conditions of his death have always been a mystery to you - more so with your mother refusing to talk about the subject. what you do know about him, though, is that he loved music, and you do too. you look after his old guitar with your life, and even decided to skip college and go straight into following your dream of becoming a known musical artist at san myshuno. however, you don't find success straight away and start to lose motivation rather quickly. that's when a secretive lawyer knocks at your studio apartment's door to give you the opportunity of a lifetime: to start again in a small town, far away from your previous failure. you immediately travel to chestnut ridge and get right to it - you have a ranch to renovate and a lot to learn about your father's side of the family. no easy task, surely!

aspiration: big happy family traits: rancher, animal enthusiast, clumsy initial budget: 20k ~ 50k (read general rules)

master the following skills: guitar, horse riding, and handiness.

complete your aspiration.

go to the nightclub or the bar at least once a week.

start making money by rescuing horses, training them until they increase their market price, and selling them to other ranchers.

adopt two small goats, raise them and sell their milk. (optional: use @brazenlotus' cheesemaking skill mod to sell cheese!)

renovate at least 5 rooms in the estate OR two floors + build a small barn for one or two horses.

have a kid with another townie who has a small ranch too (optional: marry them and have other children if you'd like).

PLOT POINT! the mayor seems to be having a problem with you entering the community. they think that you're too naive, as per usual with sims who hail from the city, and that you don't know what you're doing. you know, typical condescending seniors. however, they back down a little when you tell them your last name... surely that must mean something? just what kind of person was your grandparent?

to be continued...

[kimbasprite]

The Sims 4 - Avatar Legacy Challenge

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Did you either smile in nostalgia or roll your eyes at the cliche of using the show’s intro? Are you looking for a legacy challenge that helps you explore different aspects of gameplay, all the while making fun callbacks to The Last Airbender series? Well, hotman, you’re in the right place!

This Avatar Legacy Challenge is a 4-13 generational challenge with themes surrounding characters, events, and locations from the Avatarverse, with enough wiggle room to make it fit your unique gameplay style.

Basic Rules

The purpose of this challenge is to complete the Avatar cycle by playing with 4 generations of the same family, but you may play up to 12 generations + 1 bonus gen with the current outline!

Each heir should represent their element or location by color scheme/style. You can base this on the show or your personal likes/dislikes.

You can live in any Sims world unless otherwise specified in the rules of a generation.

You can have as many children as you’d like unless otherwise specified in the rules of a generation.

Every generation is required to complete both the career and aspiration of the heir unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Every generation is required to max out at least 4 skills to represent the 4 elements in the cycle.

If you decide to play this challenge, I’d love to see! Use the tag #avatarlegacy in your posts to share!

This challenge was partially inspired by the super fun Not So Berry Challenge! I wanted to play a similar challenge after seeing others play, but I knew my ADHD would leave me bored after 2 days of unintentionally recreating a popular streamer’s gameplay of the challenge. I wanted my own adventure and way to explore the game. Hopefully you can enjoy it, too! 

I spent a lot of time developing this challenge and will actually be sharing episodic gameplay once a week on my YouTube channel starting 4/30/22!!

https://www.youtube.com/c/KimbaSprite

(Also, I'm looking for some extra Sims to add to this gameplay, so if you want to help out and get a shout out in a video(I'm a small channel but want to engage more with others!!), please use the tag "#KimbaSpriteSims" in the Sims gallery. 🖤)

Book 1

Like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatar must begin anew.

(Required Expansions/Packs: Seasons, Get to Work, Island Living, Tiny Living)

---

💙🤍💜Generation 1: Water - Southern Water Tribe

Water is the element of change. You’ve always been great at going with the flow! Which is good, considering you’ve found yourself in a new neighborhood with nay 1 simoleon to your name. You come from a very traditional family but refuse to let restrictive customs rule your life. You’ll use your skills and love of nature to forge your own path, and maybe start your own customs along the way.

Traits: Creative, Self Assured, Glutton Aspiration: Freelance Botanist Career: Entertainer - Comedian Branch

Rules:

Live near the water.

Master the Comedian branch of the Entertainer career and complete the Freelance Botanist aspiration

Max the Comedy skill and 3 other skills.

Have at least two children.

***Bonus: Play with the Simple Living lot challenge

Color Theme: Blue, White, Purple

💚🤎💛Generation 2: Earth - Omashu

Earth is diverse and strong. Growing up, you are in constant competition with your sibling. Who will get better grades? Who can swim for longer before becoming tired? Who can create a potion before the science table explodes?! Brain vs. brawn… why choose? You are a mad genius with aspirations to be the strongest person on earth! Or, at least stronger than your sibling.

Traits: Genius, Active, Jealous Aspiration: Bodybuilder Career: Detective 

Rules:

Be “Best Friends” with your sibling and become partners in crime.

Have two children with different partners.

Master the Detective career and complete the Bodybuilder aspiration. 

Max the Fitness skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Live to meet your great-grandchild.

Color Theme: Green, Yellow, Brown

🧡💛🖤Generation 3: Fire - Capitol City

Fire is the element of power. You’re hot headed but have a heart of gold. Still, you feel like the black sheep of your family, especially when you’re sent away to live with your Aunt/Uncle as a teen. It feels like punishment at first, but it’s through them that you grow to become the best version of yourself.

Traits: Bookworm, Hot-Headed, Good Aspiration: Friend of the World Career: Politics 

Rules:

Have a negative relationship with your one sibling.

Move in with your Aunt/Uncle after the Earth gen is complete.

Have only one child.

Master the Politician career and complete the Friend of the World aspiration.

Max the Charisma skill and three other skills

***Bonus: Become friends with a child with the Gloomy trait. Fall in love and marry them as an adult.

Color Theme: Red, Gold, Black

💛🧡💙Generation 4: Air - Southern

Air is the element of freedom. As the child of the “Leader of the Free World,” you’re ready to get out from under your parent’s shadow. The responsibility is too much when all you want to do is explore the world and live your life the way you want to! You love nature and think all life is sacred–you’re even a vegetarian! You find your passion in Conservation and won’t stop until you make the world a better place.

Traits: Clumsy, Dance Machine, Vegetarian Aspiration: The Curator Career: Conservationist

Rules:

Live in four worlds throughout your life.

Live in a tiny house for your entire Young Adult life.

Never get married.

Master the Environmental Managers branch of the Conservationist career and complete The Curator aspiration.

Max the Logic skill and three other skills.

***Bonus: Fall in love with a mermaid.

Color Theme: Yellow, Orange, Light Blue

--- 

 Book 2

Congratulations! You’ve completed the Avatar Cycle. This can be the end–or, a new beginning.

(Required Expansions/Packs: Cats & Dogs, Seasons, Eco Living, Dream Home Decorator, Get Famous, Spa Day)

---

🤍💜💙Generation 5: Water - Foggy Swamp

People always tell you that you’re not what they expect. You love your animals like members of your family, even to the annoyance of said family. You’re the child of a world renowned conservationist, and all you want to do is live off the land. Like…. really off the land. If it can be found in a dumpster, why bother paying full price? You may be a slob, but at least you’re not wasteful. 

Traits: Freegan, Slob, Animal Enthusiast  Aspiration: Angling Ace Career: Gardener - Botanist Branch

Rules:

From Teen-Elder, always have at least one animal (pet or livestock).

Move out as a Young Adult and thrift your first set of furniture and appliances exclusively through dumpster divings.

Complete the Fish Collection

Master the Botanist Branch of the Gardener Career and complete the Angling Ace aspiration.

Max the Gardening skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Play with the Off the Grid lot challenge

Color Theme: Blue, Teal, Yellow

🤎💛💚 Generation 6: Earth - Ba Sing Se

If you had to choose a nice word, you would describe your childhood home as “Eclectic.” A second-hand mid-century modern, bohemian rustic farmhouse nightmare may be a better descriptor. Other kids may spend their weekly allowance on candy or games, but you have bigger aspirations. As a Cheerful Sim with Big Dreams™, Networking is your middle name and you make it a point to befriend anyone you come across. 

Traits: Materialistic, Snob, Cheerful Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy Career: Interior Decorator

Rules:

Achieve a Pristine Reputation

Marry for money (Inheritance Call, Lottery Winner, etc.)

Have only one child

Master the Interior Decorator Career and complete the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration.

Max the Charisma skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Achieve the People Person Lifestyle

Color Theme: Gold, Green, Silver

💛🖤🧡 Generation 7: Fire - Ember Island

Lights! Camera! Action! Growing up, your parent always encouraged you to follow your dreams… as long as they were lucrative, anyway. And what pays the bills more than being famous? Actor by day, playwright by night, there’s never a moment where you’re not hustling. The critics love to hate you, but who cares if you’re the best actor in the world if you can’t spark joy in others?

Traits: Goofball, Self-Absorbed, Music Lover Aspiration: Bestselling Author Career: Actor

Rules:

Play an instrument and busk at least one night a week.

Have at least 3 good friends and 3 enemies.

Master the Actor Career and complete the Bestselling Author aspiration.

Max the Acting skill, Mischief skill, Comedy skill, and at least one other skill.

***Bonus: Only publish Screenplays

Color Theme: Red, Pink, Orange

🧡💙💛 Generation 8: Air - Western

Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become wind. You’ll achieve your goals, even if you make yourself the enemy. Die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. Spurred by your parent’s vanity, you seek acceptance among the other kinds of stars and outcasts. There’s a lot of injustice in the world.

Traits: Neat, Ambitious, Gloomy Aspiration: Soulmate Career: Astronaut - Space Smuggler

Rules:

Achieve a Bad Reputation

Marry a Sim in the Criminal Career

Master the Space Smuggler brand of the Astronaut Career and complete the Soulmate aspiration.

Max the Fitness skill, Wellness skill, and at least 2 other skills.

***Bonus: Build and fully upgrade a rocket and visit Sixam.

Color Theme: Brown, Gray, Blue

--- 

 Book 3

All things come to an end…. And all things must start somewhere. Complete another cycle?

(Required Expansions/Packs: Get Together,Get to Work, Vampires, Jungle Adventure, City Living, Discover University)

---

💜💙🤍 Generation 9: Water - Northern Water Tribe

You grew up in a hectic household. Your parents were very open minded and encouraged chaos as freedom. You form a special interest in Vampires and the occult at an early age. It’s possible you might be a little obsessed, but what’s the harm? As a Young Adult, you become a Doctor in order to better connect with people. And if it makes you feel a little powerful, well… There's nothing wrong with that.

Traits: Perfectionist, Loner, Family-Oriented Aspiration: Leader of the Pack Career: Doctor

Rules:

Create a Club and maintain weekly Club Gatherings through your Young Adulthood.

Live in a different world than the one you were raised in.

Have at least two children–one of them a girl.

Master the Doctor career and complete the Leader of the Pack aspiration.

Max the Master Vampire Lore skill and 3 other skills. 

***Bonus: Become or Marry a Vampire

Color Theme: Blue, Red, Black

🤎💛💚 Generation 10: Earth - Kyoshi Island

You’ve had cabin fever since the day you were born. You’ve always longed for more… Adventures, romance, and meeting new people!  While your parent works long hours at the hospital, you are out on your own adventures. And when they are home, you make it a point *not* to be, lest they try to get you and your friends to read their weird Vampire tomes. You never turn down an opportunity for adventure–you’ll rest when you’re dead.

Traits: Adventurous, Bro, Romantic Aspiration: Jungle Explorer Career: Secret agent

Rules:

Must be female and only have female friends until the end of your Teen-hood.

Complete both the Ancient Omiscan artifacts and Omiscan treasures collections

Marry someone with blue eyes

Master the Diamond Agent Branch of the Secret Agent career path and complete the Jungle Explorer aspiration.

Max the Archaeology skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Have a secret and well-maintained garden.

Color Theme: Green, Red, Gold

🖤🧡💛 Generation 11: Fire - Boiling Rock

Growing up, you are surrounded by fine art and ancient artifacts, so is it any wonder why you become an Art Lover with sticky fingers? You like the finer things in life but generally lack the funds to acquire them legitimately. You are the life of the party and host events at any opportunity given to you. Sometimes your chaotic nature will get you into trouble, but you are not one to back down from a fight!

Traits: Art Lover, Outgoing, Kleptomaniac Aspiration: Party Animal Career: Criminal

Rules:

Complete the City Posters Collection.

Must get in 5 fights and declare 5 enemies over lifetime.

Must accept every invitation to outings with your friends and family.

Master the Boss Career Branch of the Criminal career and complete the Party Animal aspiration.

Max the Mischief skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Live on a lot with the Volcanic Activity lot Challenge

Color Theme: Black, Red, Pink

💙💛🧡 Generation 12: Air - Northern

You are that kid who responds to every instruction from an adult with the question “Why?” Partially because you know it annoys the heck out of the adults! You love knowing how things work and find fulfillment in making things with your own hands. You consider your home your biggest Work in Progress and continuously add rooms and extensions that would put the Winchester Mansion to shame. You just want to make the world more exciting with lots of cool and flashy gadgets!

Traits: Geek, Genius, Erratic Aspiration: Nerd Brain Career: Engineer - Mechanical Engineer Branch

Rules:

Must attend every GeekCon, even if it means missing school or work.

Must live in the same house from Young Adult through Elder, and never remove outer walls–you can only add more.

Master the Mechanical Engineer Branch of the Engineer career and complete the Nerd Brain aspiration.

Max the Robotics skill and 3 other skills.

***Bonus: Build a Servo Bot to be your child’s caretaker.

Color Theme: Orange, Green, Gray

---

Epilogue

(Required Expansions/Packs: Parenthood, Eco Living, Snowy Escape)

---

🤍🤍🤍Generation 13: Republic City

Your family has come a long way and had many adventures. You feel both pride at their ambition as well as the desire to do better. Growing up, you feel like you’re the parent sometimes, and you miss out on the carefree aspect of being a child. You know you’re not perfect and have your own struggles, but you still strive to continue your legacy and heal the world–along with your own generational trauma. 

Traits: Proper, Non-Commital, Family-Oriented Aspiration: Super Parent Career: Civil Designer - Civic Planner Branch

Rules:

Volunteer once a week with your household.

Never have a romantic relationship with labels (boyfriend/ girlfriend/ fiance/ spouse) 

Max the Parenting skill before having any children of your own.

Master the Civic Planner Branch of the Civil Designer career and complete the Super Parent aspiration.

***Bonus: Achieve a Green Neighborhood Eco-Footprint.

Color Theme: Black, Gray, Purple

[dandylion240]

All of the story asks please :) (Character specific ones I'd say up to you, but would love to have them be Jonah/Cecil or my usual favorites ;) )

what’s the last screenshot you’ve taken for your story?

2. describe your story in three words or less

Family, Angst, Drama

3. describe (insert character here) in three words or less

Jonah - unassuming, brave sensitive

Cecil - insightful, supportive, caring

Evan - self-sacrificing, helpful, innocent

Jayden - protective, stubborn, active

4. how did you choose the name of your story?

I try to use titles that is kind of thematic of the story I'm writing. It takes me forever to come up with a name and sometimes the name changes multiple times before it gets posted.

5. how do you choose your characters’ names?

It depends upon the story. For my Reagan family stories (TS4) I use the parents names. It's kind of a family tradition. For instance Jonah/Ethan. All boys will start with E and the girls will start with J. In my TS3 stories I sometimes choose a theme for names and use that. Like next gen of NSQL the theme is nature.

6. how long have you been working on your story for?

Well it depends on the story. With my Reagans I started writing for them in the summer of 2019. For my TS3 legacies I started in 2014 I think.

7. whats the biggest risk you’ve taken with your story? did it pay off?

I think my biggest risk is my current story Into the Depths of Darkness. I wasn't sure I could pull it off and the story has changed from what I thought it would be and the hero of the story has changed from first conception. I'm happy that Jonah is the hero of his own story and it's given him so much character growth and he's becoming more of what I always invisioned him being. I owe a lot to @mahvaladara to how the story has progressed and the ideas she has contributed. It wouldn't be what it is without her.

8. what about your story are you proud of?

There are many things I'm proud. Mostly that I continue writing even though sometimes it feels like I'm ripping my heart out to write some of things I write about and also that I don't quit even when it's hard.

9. what about your story are you looking to improve on?

There's always things that can be improved. Writing is a process that the more you do it the more you learn and get better. I could say pictures but I'll admit the storytelling will always come first over pretty pics and sometimes I just can't find the right pose to fit. Maybe one day I'll be able to make my own poses but I'm not there yet.

10. is your story fully planned or are you still working things out? is there a definitive end?

It's a work in progress. I start writing from an outline of how I think the story should go but it's loose enough for me to rearrange things or remove/add things to it as the story evolves.

11. why have you decided to tell this story? are there any messages or meanings within it?

I just like to write. If there's any message in my stories it's that family is important and no matter awful things you might face in life if you have people who love and care for you that you can endure it. But mostly that you can rise above your circumstances and still be a healthy, functioning person despite everything even if you have a mental or health problems, you can still be happy, loved.

12. do you actually play the game or do you just use it as a storytelling medium?

It's mostly a storytelling medium for me. I do play it sometimes but tbh though TS4 lacks so much depth and gameplay I find it boring after a while. I've gotten into playing TS3 again now that I have a better computer that it doesn't lag as much.

13. from basic planning to a finished post, how long does that take you?

I don't honestly know. I've never stopped to consider how long it takes.

14. do you have any regrets about your story so far? if you could go back in time, how would you fix these?

No I don't think I have any real regrets. Sure I go back and think I could have written that better or edited that picture more but for the most part I'm happy with my stories.

15. what have been the highlights of creating your story?

The highlights have always been the people who become involved in my characters lives.

16. what about the process do you enjoy?

Seeing my stories come to life. How my characters change as the story progresses.

17. what about the process do you hate?

When I struggle to write a scene and it doesn't flow the way it should. It's generally because I'm coming at it wrong. Once I figure that out than it flows. Sometimes the seeming lack of interest in what I write from the readers is hard to overcome and I feel like quitting. But the few who comment I thank because that always revs up my motivation to continue.

18. choose a song that reminds you of your story

Just one song....that's really difficult say. There are so many songs out that fit my current story. This song fits Into the Depths of Darkness because where there's a lot of darkness there's still hope to be found.

19. choose a song that reminds you of (insert character here)

Ok I'll do this for Jonah - Fight Song

20. choose your favourite shot from your story so far

21. choose your least favourite shot so far

22. choose a favourite character from your story so far

Jonah is my baby. It may not show it by I love him.

23. choose your least favourite character so far

Hmm this is difficult because there were characters I created purely to be hated. Currently my least favorite is Ethan but it's not because I don't love him but it's because of his roll in the story.

24. are there any characters who remind you of yourself?

Not really. There are certain aspects of me in all my characters or people I know in them but none are an incert of myself.

25. what inspirations have you drawn on for your story?

There are so many. I draw inspiration from people around me. From movies and TV shows I watch. The books I read. Sometimes from the people I interact with on here mainly @izayoichan @mahvaladara @jenpants and @legendofsim They've let me bounce ideas off of them and their input helps me in my stories.

26. have other sim stories inspired you?

Yes they have. See above. All their stories have inspired me.

27. what genres would you describe your story as?

Modern fantasy drama??? I have no idea if that's a thing but it best describes what I write.

28. if you could reproduce your story in another medium (movie, novel, comic, etc.) what would you choose and why?

Hmm I'd say novel or maybe series. A movie would be cool too.

29. what would your story’s rating be? (G, PG, M etc.)

Hmm interesting I'd like to say its somewhere between PG-13 and mature just because of some of the topics.

30. if you were leaving simblr and had to choose another creator to continue the story for you, who would you ask?

I think either @izayoichan or @mahvaladara for my TS4 stories since they've helped me write some of them and they would keep true to the characters as they love them as much as I do.

For my TS3 stories I would say @legendofsim since for a long time our stories had been intertwined.

31. drop some random trivia about your story

Ethan was supposed to die trying to save Jonah

Caiden was supposed to have played the part of the hero instead of Jonah

Cory was going to heal Jonah's broken heart over the of Ethan.

But as they say the story changed...

32. give a light spoiler

Someone will be heartbroken at the end of the story.

33. recommend another creator’s story!

There are so many: @izayoichan @mahvaladara @nikatyler @justkeeponsimming @amuhav @legendofsim @simlit @lilyshadowwriter @wannabecatwriter

Please don't be upset if you weren't listed on here. I love everyone I follow but these are my favorites. I have others but some aren't active anymore and stuck with the ones I'm always waiting for the next installment, even if I'm behind on a few of them.

Thank you for asking!

[crusherthedoctor]

Can we have some unpopular Sonic opinions?

I tried to cram in a lot, so I hope this satisfies you. :P I tried to stick to the ones that I haven't brought up quite as often, since by this point, we all know that I think IDW's storytelling is dire, SA2's story is overrated, X Eggman is an embarrassing portrayal (at least from season 2 onwards), Blaze shouldn't be handcuffed to Silver, Shadow's backstory had issues with or without the Black Arms, Neo Metal Sonic looks silly, etc. But anyway, here we go:

- Knuckles may be tricky to incorporate into plots that don't relate to Angel Island, but making him obsessed with his duties is no better than having him forget about Angel Island entirely.

- I like Marine, and never found her annoying. Oh, I understood what they were trying to do with her, but I honestly wasn't put off by her, and found her Aussie lingo more endearing if anything. Since her debut was during the period in my life where where I couldn't stand Sonic himself, I instead thought he was irritating (and hypocritical) for getting annoyed with her for doing shit he would often be guilty of.

- Silver is just as guilty of being shoehorned into games and plots as the Deadly Six are. Having more fans than the latter is irrelevant, since we're still talking about a character who constantly has to time travel in order to be present.

- Speaking of Silver, if he has to stick around, please do something different with him. They've pulled the doomed future routine multiple times now, and it's been boring every single time. I wasn't interested when it involved Iblis. I wasn't interested when it involved Knuckles drinking the edgy Kool Aid. I wasn't interested when it involved a council of dumbasses... give it a rest already.

- The Tails Doll can work as a mildly creepy thing, with maybe more to it than meets the eye when it's time for a boss fight or what have you. But the memes about him stealing your soul are just dumb, and I thought it was dumb even back in my teenage youth.

- “Eggman is supposed to be clownish!” Yeah, well he's also meant to be a genuine villain with a 300 IQ. These qualities don't have to be mutually exclusive.

- “Sonic is supposed to have attitude!” Yeah, well that's not the same thing as being an absolute cunt. Sonic was only ever meant to come off as having an edge compared to Mario. He was never meant to be a GTA-tier protagonist.

- Rouge is not a villain, and never was a villain. Literally the whole point of her role in SA2 was to reveal that she was working against Eggman and Shadow the whole time, albeit using sneakier tactics to do so. You'd think all those people who exult SA2's story would remember this, but apparently not. She barely even qualifies as an anti-hero, since aside from stealing the Master Emerald, she rarely does anything morally questionable otherwise. She's got a lot more good in her than people give her credit for.

- Captain Whisker is a better Eggman Nega than the actual Eggman Nega. And as far as robot characters in this franchise go, Johnny's design is pretty underrated.

- I don't like Iblis or Mephiles, but I DO like Solaris, and it annoys me that it was out of focus for most of the story due to all the time spent on its less interesting halves. Had they kept the backstory with the Duke and his experiments, and worked from there, I think they could have provided an interesting contrast with Chaos (since Solaris can also qualify as a monster with a sympathetic backstory) instead of recycling the surface level schtick.

- Black Doom may technically be just as bad as Mephiles, Nega, Scourge, Mimic, etc, since he's yet another villain with one-note characterization and fucked over Eggman. But because he never gained a disproportionate fandom, he doesn't annoy me to the same extent. It's easier to ignore him by comparison, and his Dr. Claw voice and face shaped like a lady's delicate part make him enjoyable to mock.

- Likewise, while Lyric is also on the same level as these other villains, it's easier to dismiss him because I was never invested in the Boom games anyway, and being an obvious alternate universe (compared to Sonic X or IDW, which retain the Modern designs and plot elements), it never had an effect on the main series. I also unironically like his design, and if nothing else, at least this snake didn't start a hypnotism fetish across the internet.

- Sally - and the rest of the Freedom Fighters for that matter - have had their importance in the franchise severely inflated. They may have been lucky to be the face of popular media (SatAM and Archie), but they're not these magnificent entities that the game characters are but a speck of dust in comparison to. Having a “legacy” doesn't make them more entitled to shit than any other character, old or new.

- Conceptually, the treasure hunting gameplay is one of the better alternate gameplay styles IMO. But it was let down in SA2 by its one track minded radar (the levels may have been big, but I don't think that would have been an issue on its own if the radar was better). If they brought it back and made it more like SA1's treasure hunting, I'd be all for it, although it would probably be better suited for a spinoff title.

- This goes for a lot of games, but when it comes to 2D, I prefer sprites over models. Not that the Rush models are bad (though the ones in Chronicles sure as fuck are), but the sprites in Mania and the Advance trilogy are just so charming and full of character.

- I actually like Marble Zone. Yeah, the level design is a bit blocky, but I love the concept of an underground temple prison, mixed with lava elements in a zone that otherwise isn't a traditional volcano level.

- I also like Sandopolis Zone. Again, completely understand why it's not the most popular zone around, but I've been a sucker for the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic since childhood (you can thank Crash 3 for that), and Act 1 is visually stunning.

- I prefer the JP soundtrack for Sonic CD over the US version overall... but I also prefer Sonic Boom over You Can Do Anything.

- SA2's soundtrack isn't bad by any means - I love Rouge's tracks, and The Last Scene is one of my favourite pieces of music - but as far as variety goes, it's a step down from SA1's soundtrack.

- If Sonic X-Treme had been released, it probably would have been unenjoyable and confusing. Whatever your thoughts on SA1, it was probably the better option between the two as far as Sonic's first legitimate translation into 3D goes.

- I have no qualms with Modern Sonic and the other Modern designs and characters, but I also fully acknowledge that changing gears from Adventure onwards - and doing it with a great amount of fanfare - was always going to create one of the biggest divides in the fandom, and fans shouldn't act surprised that this happened. The fact that they felt the need to hype up a new design and direction in the first place (compared to Mario, who has mostly been the same since the beginning, with only the occasional minor change with little fanfare) also indicates that they weren't confident enough in Sonic and his universe being the way it was, which often gets ignored by all the “SEGA have no confidence!!!” complaints you see with their recent games.

- Unleashed did not deserve the incredibly harsh reviews it received back in the day... but it doesn't deserve its current sacred cow status either. It had more effort put into it than '06 to be sure, and I can respect that, but much of it was misguided effort, and even if you like the Werehog, you have to admit that the idea came at the absolute worst time. The intro cutscene may be awesome, as is the Egg Dragoon fight, but 2% doesn't make up the entire game. Chip was also quite annoying, and I wasn't particularly sad when he pressed F in the chat at the end.

- On the other hand, while Colours definitely has its shortcomings, and people have every right to criticse those shortcomings, a lot of its most vocal detractors tend to have a stick up their arse about the game because people actually enjoyed it, and it had a gimmick that people actually liked. Yes, it may have been the first game to have those writers everyone hates, but then SA1 was the first game to give the characters alternate gameplay styles and have other villains upstage Eggman, so...

- Forces is absolutely not on the level of '06. It's nowhere close. A game being flawed does not make it the next '06, clickbait YouTubers. Or should I say, the game they want to retroactively apply '06's reception to, since they've been trying hard to magically retcon '06's own quality...

- To echo @beevean, ALL of the 3D stories have their issues. SA1 is probably the most well-rounded of them on the whole, but even that one isn't perfect.

- To echo another opinion, although I do love SA1, I'm not crazy over the idea of a remake, and would prefer them to just take Sonic's gameplay from SA1 and work from there. Because with a remake, you're stuck in a hard spot: Do you keep it the way it is bar the expected graphical upgrades, and risk accusations of not doing anything to actually improve the experience? Or do you try to address past criticisms, and risk the wrath of the fans who will inevitably go on a #NotMyAdventure crusade about it? What people fail to consider is that the Crash and Spyro remakes were accepted gracefully because their original iterations were still unanimously beloved for the most part, whereas SA1 - and especially SA2 - have always been divisive, and have only gotten moreso over the years.

- People take their preferences for the character's voice actors too seriously. I have my own favourites like anyone else, but I don't make a big deal out of it.

- And with fandom voice actors, they usually focus too much on doing a basic impression of their preferred official voice actor, and not enough on the acting. So you end up getting a lot of fan voices who sound like decent impressions of Ryan Drummond or Jason Griffith on the surface, but they sound utterly empty beyond that impression, because there's no oomph or depth to the actual emotions. They think about the actor rather than the character, when it should really be the other way around.

- The thing with Ian Flynn is that he is capable of telling a decent story, and he can portray some characters well. But he's proven time and time again that everything will go off the rails if he's given too much freedom (ironic, given how quick he is to point the finger at mandates when something goes wrong).

- Ian Flynn and Shiro Maekawa are not the only people in the world who are allowed to write for Sonic. I understand that one should be cautious when seeking out new writing talent, but for all the fandom's accusations of playing it safe, they sure aren't in a rush to experiment outside of their own comfort zone.

- And of course, the big one: You don't fix the franchise's current problems by crawling back to its previous problems. It's much more helpful and constructive to discuss the good and bad alike with each of the games. Less “THIS GOOD, MODERN BAD”, and more “This could work, but maybe without that part...”

[simblrinterests]

Gen 1 Retrospective (The lost generation)

So back when I started this challenge, I was on a different computer, I didn’t have reshade, I had no idea how to pose sims, and the entire concept of taking photos alongside playing baffled me. But then I got reshade...and then I figured out how to pose.  So by the time gen 1 was just about to move onto gen 2, I was dipping my toe in the storytelling thing.  Also the difference is wild.

This is probably the first photo from this legacy (no editing)

This is a photo I took last week (no editing)

I consider this to be my first real BPR post.  I did put up a few photos from the tail end of gen 1, but this was the first pose that turned out the way I wanted.

I completed a NSB last year and it was the most fun I’d ever had with my game because of all the colours involved, so that was my berry gateway drug.  That and some really good BPR stories made me want to try the challenge for myself.  

But basically the whole thing should have been completely different.  First of all, Morning Star was my third attempt at a BPR founder.  I previously had a played through gen 1 arc, and then Neige was gonna be my founder with the whole Snow family as a backdrop, but I got bored of both those saves.   

I originally didn’t make Morning’s parents.  I figured I kept getting bored trying to play through the traditional rebellious teenager runs away from home thing, so I just decided to skip it.  The parents you see in the story I went back and created from her genetics...but she did always have a sister.  

I played through as Morning for a while, mostly just focusing on the goals of the challenge.  I dropped Rhubarb in and made him a cop.  They actually did meet when he wandered past her house one day.  So the thing about Rhubarb is that he was hot-headed.  He yelled a lot - but never at Morning.  So she was always completely smitten with him and I felt extremely guilty about breaking up their marriage.  The original plan was going to be that they married too young, had too many kids too fast and then got divorced when Morning met someone who she had more in common with.  But they were always just so devoted to each other I couldn’t break them up, plus Rhubarb was a shockingly good dad despite his inability to keep a dollhouse in one piece.  

I used to make Morning work on her creativity skill at the art centre so she wouldn’t be trying to keep up with her toddlers’ needs.  By this point she had three kids, and then Orion appeared and started randomly talking to her while she painted, and I just kinda...deleted the door.  I sort of made them keep talking until they fell in love.  Then Morning and Rhubarb went out to a dance party, Rhubarb just flipped out at the bartender out of nowhere, which did piss Morning off.  So I had her go over to Orion’s place to give me that purple baby.  

Aurora and Autumn were my two picks for heir this generation, and they both originally had different names.  

Yeah.  Autumn was originally going to be Winter but then pulled the red hair and I ended up not liking the name for her.  Aurora was going to be Venus but when she aged up to a kid I decided it didn’t fit her.  I do this kinda a lot where I try out names and then change them if I feel they don’t fit.  But Rory was seriously this close to being Venus.  I don’t think Autumn was Winter for more than like, a day.  

Autumn was also originally going to be the heir, but then Rory just kept getting more interesting to me.  She picked up Rosebud and Posey as friends all on her own, she independently started practicing the writing skill, she and Autumn started getting into fights.  Plus there was the matter of Autumn looking like Morning’s clone.  So I let Autumn keep her original traits which I felt were intrinsically hers at this point (she’d been a vegetarian since she was a child and was always a jerk about it).  

This generation was more about gameplay and each subsequent generation has become more and more storytelling and pose focused.  I really enjoyed playing this gen and I’m planning on doing more gameplay in the upcoming generations.  I took this opportunity to go back and give some small makeovers to the original family, which was super fun.  I’m going to be posting some of the missing scenes I shot with them later today or later this week.

I hope you enjoyed this gen 1 retrospective!  Gen 2 is up next, where I finally get to talk about Chant 😭

[melien]

24, 28, 29, 40

24. Have you ever done any other challenges with your sims from the legacy?

Yeah! Back in the days of the original Fletcher legacy I've done two BC challenges with legacy sims (their fellow generation folks also appeared there), a few casual saves/stories/AUs that featured them... It was always harder for me to get attached to the new sims so I just kept using the legacy ones. I wanted to continue this tradition when the Twinkles became my main legacy, but I have much less time now. Still, this year on Valentine's Day I did an AU thing with Carnet and I loved it so much, it brought me back into these days. I also had a gameplay with the Maple (Satellite, Song, Mansour, Starling, Chambers... 😂) kids in June last year which was a simplified version of their story that you have seen. I was hoping to start posting it, but then decided against it because I wanted to tell their full story, even if it takes long. I'm glad I took my time with it.

28. Have you had a sim who you grew to like?

The first sim that comes to my mind is Atticus. I didn't think much of him at first, but now he is the best boi. Same with Jesse, at the beginning I had struggles with his development, but it turned out better than I expected, and now I love this kid so much and he's one of my all-time favourite sims. Another example is Mauve Twinkle, who I thought would be a boring spare that I'll be waiting to move out, but then he did a complete 180 on me and became one of my favourites that generation.

29. Have you had a sim that you fell in love with right away?

A lot of them! Especially my blog's signature cuties, such as Blizzard and Ashwini, and basically most of the heirs.

40. Random fun fact about your legacy you want to share!

I’ll just share all of my legacy anniversaries!

Twinkle: August 5th, 2017

Maple: March 4th, 2018

Lilygreen: November 22nd, 2018

Fletcher: September 17th, 2015

Fletcher reboot: September 17th, 2018 (technically 8th, but I like to think it’s 17th, the day it started posting!)

Glitter: April 17th, 2017

Thank you for asking!

[scoutception]

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest: forever standalone

The world of Final Fantasy spinoffs is a wild one. Aside from miscellaneous mobile games, most of what you’ll find is connected to something greater in the end. From the famous Ivalice series containing Final Fantasy XII and the Tactics series, to the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, to more humble Crystal Chronicles series, they’ve all spun out into their own little subseries. Others, however, are connected to series outside of Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy Adventure, for instance, started as its own little spinoff before becoming the start of the Mana series, while The Final Fantasy Legend games were just SaGa games retitled so they’d sell better. Bravely Default owes its existence to an obscure little game called The 4 Heroes of Light, which I shall be covering in my next review, and even World of Final Fantasy has its own mobile game spinoff. The one odd, standalone spinoff through this all is ironically one of the very first; an extremely humble little game called Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, intended as an entry level RPG made for the American audience who, at the time, namely 1992, hadn’t widely accepted JRPGs as a genre. Whether it succeeded in this endeavor is something we’ll be examining now.

Story:

The story of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest concerns a little world cleanly separated into 4 regions of earth, water, fire, and wind, each with an elemental crystal providing blessings on the land. with a tower called the Focus Tower standing at the center of the world, the sole passage between them. All was well in the world until the Vile Four (think the Four Fiends from Final Fantasy I), appeared, sealed the Focus Tower, and attacked each crystal, draining them of energy and robbing the world of their blessings, causing, among other things, a small village to be destroyed by an earthquake. A survivor of the disaster, a boy named Benjamin, meets a mysterious old man on the Hill of Destiny during his escape, who tells Benjamin that he is the Warrior of Light spoken of in an ancient prophecy, who will save the world from this very disaster. Thus, Benjamin, with the help of various allies who tend to ditch him at the drop of a hat, such as the unreliable thief Tristan and the archer Phoebe, who goes into self pity mode rather quickly, and ventures forth to destroy the Vile Four, save the crystals, and ultimately confront the mastermind behind it all, the Dark King.

If this sounds at all familiar, that’s because it is. Yes, they essentially copied the plot of Final Fantasy I, only somehow even less detailed. While you do have actual characters as party members, they aren’t much to write home about, with very basic personalities and very little screentime with which to even put them to use. While the game seems to try to have a jokey, lighthearted feel to it, similar to Final Fantasy V, with events such as the old man randomly appearing to deliver one piece of advice before flying away, often leaving Benjamin baffled, the dialogue is very stilted and only makes it come off as awkward and forced. Outside of the events that lead to the dungeons with each of the crystals being unlocked, there’s no real overarching plot otherwise, and outside of the reveal of the Dark King’s existence, and that he was the one who created the prophecy in the first place, more or less as a joke, which goes absolutely nowhere, there’s no twists to be found. While the simplicity might have been part of the “entry level” design, in the end it just means there’s not much memorable to be found.

Gameplay:

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest uses a turn based battle system similar to Final Fantasy I. At the start of your turn, you select among several commands, such as basic attacking and magic, with the main difference being the party is restricted to a maximum of two characters, one being Benjamin, who is always in the party, and the other occupied by several guest party members who join and leave at various points in the story. Benjamin, as it turns out, is rather versatile, gaining a good assortment of abilities throughout the game. There’s 4 types of weapons he can use, namely swords, axes, claws, and bombs, along with 3 types of magic, which are white magic, used for recovery on allies, or, strangely enough, used offensively on enemies, black magic, plain attack skills, and wizard magic, which are even stronger attack spells. He can also raise his defense with shields, armor and accessories he finds. Benjamin’s allies, on the other hand, aren’t quite as skilled, all being limited to single weapon types, and only a few spells each, though the party member you’ll have for the final dungeon, Phoebe, is a magical powerhouse herself. It should be mentioned that, like FF1, instead of a traditional magic point system, it’s limited by each type of magic only being to be cast so many times without resting or items. The game is, however, quite generous with the amount of casts you’re allowed, reaching past 40 casts for black and white magic at max level.

One thing that must be mentioned is the progression system. Every so often you’ll find a new piece of equipment or spell in a dungeon, or be able to buy them in towns from specific NPCs. This only applies to Benjamin, as the other party members have set equipment, and there’s only a few pieces of equipment for each type. This may not sound like a big deal, but outside of these few instances, it means money is only good for buying consumable items in battle, and since they’re littered all around dungeons anyway, and everything magic points are restored at the end of battle, this leaves few reasons to actually buy them anyway, with the exception of the seeds, which restore all of your magic casts. Every piece of equipment is also always superior to earlier found ones, to the point that they automatically replace your weaker pieces automatically, not even giving you a chance to use them again, leaving them as nothing other than nice looking decoration on your equipment screen. Aside from regular elements like fire and thunder, weapons have their own associated elements to them, which certain enemies will be weaker to than others, and defensive armor carry resistance to status ailments or elemental attacks. Weapons are also used during exploration: swords are used to hit switches, axes are for cutting down obstacles such as trees, claws grapple you to far away areas, and bombs destroy other obstacles like rocks, plus, unusual for an RPG, Benjamin is able to use his stubby little legs to jump, even over NPCs would other be blocking your path like idiots. While an interesting system, don’t expect puzzles or anything like a Zelda game. Your obstacles are bare minimum creativity, and are all easily passed as long as you’re not mostly asleep, which, admittedly, is more of a challenge than it sounds.

There’s no getting around it, this is a very, very easy game. Random encounters don’t exist, with all enemies being set and visible on the field, anything that isn’t a boss is barely a threat anyway, and even if you do meet an unfortunate demise, you can just restart with no penalties. Bosses are generally more interesting, usually being actual threats, but outside of Pazuzu, who periodically puts up a barrier that reflects magic, most don’t need strategies other than attacking and healing. All of this was entirely intentional, considering the game’s goal of being entry level, and I do believe that not every game has to be made for everyone, but all the same, the game feels rather, short shortsightedly designed. Other than collecting every piece of equipment and all the spells, there’s nothing to give replay value, and since anyone who’s played anything even slightly more complex will very likely find themselves bored by the simplicity, it makes for a very disposable game, meant only to fulfill its purpose as an introduction to RPGs, any legacy it has driven by nostalgia. Thus, while the gameplay is technically sound enough, there’s very little reason to give it attention. I wasn’t even intending to wrap up the gameplay segment of this review this quickly, but that shows how little I’ve even been given.

Graphics:

Overall, the graphics of Mystic Quest are, ok. The field graphics resemble Final Fantasy IV, if frankly a bit less detailed and muddier. The locations and designs are rather unmemorable, however.

One thing I can praise, however, are the battle graphics. Aside from some nice spell animations, enemies are much bigger and much more detailed, and while the designs are nothing special, they actually change their graphics as they become more and more detailed, which is a fantastic little detail I wish showed up in more games.

Sound:

There’s really no getting around it, the main legacy of this game is its music, and rightfully so. While the track list is rather small, and there certainly are quite a few unmemorable tracks spread around, the ones that are good are really good, the highlights being the rocking three battle themes, especially the boss theme, and the final dungeon theme. They’re definitely worth looking up for a listen to. In fact, the one game other game in all of Final Fantasy that gave Mystic Quest focused recognition is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, the game all about music. That alone should be all the indication you need.

Conclusion:

Overall, this is a solid not recommended. Easy and simple on purpose it may be, it’s such a short and dull experience that anyone not explicitly seeking an introduction has no real reason to try it. Even those with morbid curiosity, like me, won’t find much, since it’s not out and out terrible. It holds up ok enough for what it is, but doesn’t even think of being more than that. Even at the time, it was rathe unnecessary, considering Final Fantasy IV had already been released a year earlier, in a massively simplified version. All in all, you’d be better off looking pretty much anywhere else for an introduction to the genre. Till next time.

-Scout

[aion-rsa]

With Crystal of Storms, Rhianna Pratchett Helps Reboot Fighting Fantasy Roleplay Books

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Writer Rhianna Pratchett, known for video games including the Tomb Raider reboot and  the Overlord series, returns to an early staple of role-playing gaming with Fighting Fantasy. Pratchett’s book, Crystal of Storms, takes players into a fantasy police procedural on a floating island. 

She’s one of only two guest writers for the franchise, and the first woman to put her stamp on it. With a strong career of her own and the legacy of her father Terry’s Discworld series, her quirky take on the fantasy procedural is part of Scholastic’s revitalization of Fighting Fantasy. 

Developed in the 80s, Fighting Fantasy works as an introduction for kids to fantasy roleplaying. Players can use dice or flip the pages to roll different outcomes for their characters. Items, stat trackers, and alternate origin stories make Fighting Fantasy more complicated than a choose-your-own-adventure book but still easy to play solo. 

“We’re delighted to welcome Rhianna to the world of Fighting Fantasy,” Ian Livingstone, co-creator of Fighting Fantasy, said. “Her charming writing style and clever, imaginative world-building in Crystal of Storms is a new take on the genre and a joy to read.”

Den of Geek called Pratchett to talk about humor, fantasy, narrative design for games, and more. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Den of Geek: How does a Fighting Fantasy game work? 

Pratchett: Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson created Fighting Fantasy back in the 80s. I read it as a kid. You choose where the adventure goes. You make choices as you encounter different scenarios, characters, and monsters. You pick up potions and weapons, various things that can help. Just like in an RPG game, except it’s all text. For the choices you make, you turn to different sections of the book and see what the results of those choices are. 

You can use traditional dice, and there’s a section at the back where you can record your stats and rolls to see how a battle will turn out. You can record your gold, the provisions, any code words, things like that. But you could also use the pages themselves as dice rolls because every page has a pair of dice with numbers on it, so if you don’t have dice, randomly flick through the book and stop on a page, and on the corner it will tell you what the dice roll will be. Which is very handy. There’s something nice about using physical dice while you’re playing it, so it’s very interactive. 

As an older adult you don’t have dice about as much as you do as a kid! I had to go out and get dice and pencil when I was doing research!

What was your process for world building for the archipelago of Pangaria?

I came up with the overarching idea based on an amalgamation of a few things. There was a bit in Gates of Death (a previous Fighting Fantasy book by guest author Charlie Higson) where you interact with goblins that have a flying machine. I thought that sounds pretty cool. I wonder if you could go bigger with that? I was also reading a news story about cloud formations that look like cities. No one knows why! Those things merged in my head, the city in the sky, the goblins, and their flying machine. It had been a long time since I’d read classic Fighting Fantasy books. I wanted very specific areas I could develop in the same way you’d develop a level for a game. That’s why I had the archipelago and the different islands that all have different roles within the economy of Pangaria. So you’ve got the water island, the farming island, the technomancy island. Technomancy, which is halfway between magic and technology, is what underpins the whole of Pangaria. It’s what makes the islands fly, what powers the storm crystals you have in these portable wings you can wear to fly around different islands. There are these little goblin airbuses that go between islands as well. I wanted to create distinct areas I could personalize, make unique, and have fun with and create original monsters for as well as delving into the archives and coming up with some classic monsters that hadn’t been seen for a while. It was a good mixture of that.

A lot of it I did on the fly. Ian Livingstone told me how hard it was. I thought he was joking with me. “Oh, he’s just trying to scare me,” but it is very hard. If Ian Livingstone tells you that, it probably is hard given that he’s written so many of them. Ultimately your writing will not end up in a linear form. Each page has multiple sections, all of which are numbered. You need to make sure you have enough sections, about 400 sections, and that they’re covering enough words, and they’re not next to each other. All that can be quite difficult to manage. Fighting Fantasy authors have different ways of doing it. Ian writes it out freehand. I started doing that, then I did a flow chart. That was becoming too time consuming, so I started an Excel document with colors for different sections, and the pages, and the different islands. Which more or less worked. So I devised my own system for how it works. I had the great Jonathan Green, who is a Fighting Fantasy author who’s written a lot, helping guide me through the world. Particularly with things like boss fights, how to structure fights in the Fighting Fantasy style, and how to do things like have little moments within the boss fights where you can roll the dice to do something specific.

The thing that underpins Pangaria is a combination of the goblins’ tech and creatures called stormborns, that are a bit like jinns as we know them, but not like jinns in the Fighting Fantasy world. They’re like elementals that live in and around the Ocean of Tempests, which is where Pangaria is situated. It’s floating in the eye of the storm, protected from the outside world by this giant tempest. The stormborns harvest storm crystals from the tempests, which are used to power the goblins’ tech. 

You start off as a member of the Sky Watch, which are more or less like the police force, but Pangaria is largely peaceful. You don’t have much to do and you’re a little bit bored and wishing for adventures. You find yourself the only Sky Watch member left. All the other recruits are on the Nimbus island, which crashes into the ocean at the start of the story. 

All the islands are named after clouds. There are five islands, around a sixth central island. The sixth crashes out of the sky and you have to visit the other islands and find out what happened to the island, how to get down there, who’s responsible for it. It’s a fantasy police procedural set on a floating archipelago, basically. 

Did your history writing video games help in putting this book together?

Certainly the level design aspect. I wouldn’t call myself a game designer, although I would call myself a narrative designer, which is kind of a subset of game design. I have had to pick up a lot along the way, and I have had to work on games which were very level based. Each level has its own unique aesthetic and personality and characters and things like that. So I’m used to creating mini-worlds within worlds. So that really helped. 

Usually, I don’t get the opportunity to write fights as part of my job when I work on games because that’s usually done with whoever’s dealing with the gameplay mechanics. That’s not usually me, unless there is a substantial bit of narrative embedded into the fight. For smaller, indie projects like Lost Words: Beyond The Page, my last game, I had quite a big role in coming up with some of the mechanics and level design aspects because they were so heavily tied to the narrative in that game. I’d been working on it for three or four years on and off. My brain had developed in a way that when I took on this project I understood things on an intrinsic level that maybe if I hadn’t been in video games for so long I wouldn’t have understood so easily. I understand the pace of games and I could bring that to the table. 

Also brevity! In games you have to learn to be succinct. If you’re dealing with lots of little sections and you have to write 400 or so sections, you have to be economical about your words. 

What is your history with Fighting Fantasy?

I played them when I was 8 or 9 years old. I used to get them out from my local library. In fact I think I got a threatening letter from my library when I was a child because I’d held on to the book so long. I thought they were threatening me with taking me to court!

As the first female author in the series, do you bring an element to it that girls and women would particularly appreciate?

Ian and Steve have been bringing the books back over the last couple years, and bringing in guest authors like Charlie and myself to work on. It’s fun that there are still areas in this world where women haven’t done anything before. It’s nice but nerve wracking to be the first woman to write one. Our illustrator [Eva Eskelinen] as well is the first woman to illustrate for a Fighting Fantasy book. 

It’s hard to know because I don’t have any frame of reference other than being who I am. A lot of what I did in games narrative was quite new for women to get involved in. There were obviously women who were doing great work in fantasy games in the 80s, Roberta Williams, Jane Jensen, and Christie Marks who did the King’s Quest games, Conquests of Camelot, and the Gabriel Knight games. There are a lot of women who worked in design who were also doing narrative.

I think it’s more than I bring my own sensibilities to it. It’s very difficult to separate what’s me and what’s particularly female. I had to write in the Fighting Fantasy tone, which is quite standard fantasy tone. Not particularly jokey. I probably stretched jokiness and irreverent charm to about as much as I could…I don’t think it’s intrinsically female. It’s intrinsically me. 

Your contribution is described as “narrative rich.” What do you focus on when it comes to giving a unique identity to your own writing style?

As a writer you have to be open to all kinds of information and stories. You need to read. You need to be interested in people and the world. You need content to generate content. You need to pay attention to the news and read around the genre you’re writing for. You need to go as broad as you can, to educate yourself, exercise your imagination and your creativity as a result of that. So I don’t have any particular tools except all the stuff that goes into my brain and comes out. I don’t really know what happens in the middle. Lots of stuff goes in and stories come out! 

I’m often working with stories that exist in part. In games, I coined the term “narrative paramedic” many, many years ago to describe the job a game writer sometimes does where they’re basically handed a box of narrative body parts and you have to assemble them into a story. Or the story is dying very badly and you have to save it. Narrative paramedics often get called in very late in the day. They’re patching up the story, not writing it from the ground up. When I was a games journalist I never met a game writer. I might have met some designers that did some writing. Writing was done literally by whoever had the time and inclination to do it. It could’ve been designers, or producers. It wasn’t done by a professional as a standard. That has changed very much. Game studios are building out their narrative teams. But we’re still working out how to fit writers into the process both in house and freelance. … You still get narrative paramedic jobs, but they’re thankfully less common because more studios have writing teams or relationships with writers.

It was Mary DeMarle, who’s narrative director now at Eidos Montreal, who coined the term narrative designer when she was working on the Myst games. Narrative designer is different to a writer, although those jobs are shared. Writers deal with what you might think of as traditional writing, the story, the dialogue, the cinematics, the VO, letters, documents, graffiti, that kind of thing. Whereas a narrative designer is concerned with how the story gets to the player. How the player will experience it. It could be the player experiences it through cinematics, or level design and art and there’s no traditional narrative. They’re usually a conduit between the writers and the rest of the design team and make sure the needs of the design team are communicated to the writers. Some do writing themselves, some don’t, but they’re really there to make sure the story gets into the game in the best way possible. 

I really like putting humor in games and quirky weirdness that is intrinsically me I think. I worked on all the Overlord games with Triumph Studios and Codemasters years back, and they were fun to write for. There’s not always room to do that in games, but wherever I can. It’s a product of what I read, what I listen to, how I think, how I was raised, what I’ve experienced. 

I’m always very suspicious if writers really have a handle on what is going on inside their heads to produce the stories. It feels a bit magical. Which I know is not helpful, because people would like “you need to do this and this.” There are some of those! But a lot of it is your mind as a writer, your mind you have developed through being open to the world, and letting that percolate. Eventually in the narrative gumbo things will float to the top.

I’m a very multitasking writer. I’m not good at setting hours. I work all hours, mostly during the evening, and its very antisocial but I have a very understanding partner. I wish I was a writer who could get up, start a day at a particular time and end at a particular time. But I’m not. But it works for me! 

Were there any particularly fun ways you worked the mechanics into the story, or anything that would only work in Fighting Fantasy? 

When you’re working in games, you have a fear that someone’s going to press x or spacebar and skip the cutscene or whatever that you’ve spent weeks or months of your life slaving over. It can just be skipped. That’s a risk and the nature of your job. With Crystal of Storms I know readers are engaged. They’re there for the words. Although every player of Fighting Fantasy knows basically that you go to the different sections and learn all the outcomes and choose which one you like best. You learn to have about four different fingers in different sections of the book so you can flick between things to see what the outcomes are. 

What games are you playing nowadays? 

I always like The Long Dark. I always joke with the ghost dad in my head, because my dad was a big gamer. Sometimes I play games because I can tell they’re the kind of game he would like. I have a particular fondness for wilderness survival games because when I was growing up my dad and I lived in the countryside on the edge of a valley, and my dad would take me out walking and teach me about what plants and berries and fungus were edible and which weren’t. Or, I guess, everything is edible once. 

He would teach me a light smattering of wilderness survival, and I was always interested in books that touched on that as a kid. So I really like games like Don’t Starve. I play that a lot with my partner. My partner actually got me a beefalo plushie from Don’t Starve!

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

I’ve also been playing Among Trees, and I’ve started to do a lot of the harder challenges in The Long Dark. We have a bit of a heat wave here in the UK so it makes me feel slightly cooler to be playing a game set in the Canadian snowy wilderness. I am somewhat obsessed with that and my poor partner has to endure tales of how I escaped wolves, and how I shot a moose with one shot and then two wolves got me! The emergent narrative as well as the existing narrative Hinterland [Studio] has done with their story chapters are really, really good. I’ve turned to outdoor games where you’re trumping around in the wilderness in isolation.

Crystal of Storms is out on October 1st. Find out more about it here.

The post With Crystal of Storms, Rhianna Pratchett Helps Reboot Fighting Fantasy Roleplay Books appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3jvyA2N

[pastel-spells]

Well, my Sims’ relationships are gone.

“This is why you play on offline mode” - I know. But I had a glitch that forced me to repair, which forced the update. Plus, shrinking, mmkay?

I’m a bit sad. A teensy bit angry. I did everything I was supposed to - including backing up my save. HOWEVER after giving it some thought, I decided I’m not going to use it. Instead, I decided this is an opportunity. Lately, I have felt The Sims starting to become stagnant for me. I struggle to play for long periods of time like I used to. Joining Simblr helped a lot, to get me feeling inspired. I also started a legacy challenge to change the way I play. I started work on adding interesting townies versus matchmaking everyone from the start in CAS. These all helped (though admittedly I didn’t get too far in my legacy yet). 

I’m getting bored of the “always make young adults who never age and live perfect lives” playstyle I’ve been using. I think I thought this was the best way to play when I was younger because always being a cool and hip 20-something who’s successful in their career and finding love and going to all the greatest parties and having the biggest house was The Ultimate Dream(TM). But now I’m older, and I’m married, and I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life so much more than I did when I started playing this way at 19 in TS3. Cozy little houses are just as good as fancy mansions...getting married and growing old is more appealing to me than endless parties. There’s so much in this game I never experienced - a wedding, having babies, any life stage other than YA, earning money legitimately and not starting out with 300k LOL. So, here’s what I’m going to do. 

Get Cats and Dogs on sale at Target on Friday (all this hassle means I’m at least getting some kitties out of this!)

Save for Parenthood, when we can afford it. Out of the packs I am missing, I think this will have the biggest impact on my game. 

Deleting all my sims and builds that I no longer like or fit my current aesthetic. 

Starting a new save. 

Working on re-doing all the default townies and adding some more, too. There’s so many I never bothered to get to know or interact with because they look super weird. I want more spontaneity, less perfectly planned out lives - and this includes friends in unplayed households!

Work on making over the towns - making homes actually reflect their townie owners, and public spaces more logical/functional/realistic/pretty. I honestly don’t know what EA is thinking sometimes.

Also, filling in Newcrest.

A million years later, when this is finished (or closer to it), I’ll be organizing all the sims and builds into one directory, so anyone can download it. 

For now, I’ll just be releasing each makeover, sim, build, etc. as they’re finished. Depending on the size of the build I may or may not do full CC lists in the post, especially for clutter...instead, answering WCIFs as needed for less crucial things. 

Starting a new, more traditional style of gameplay with aging on! 

Probably a legacy? We’ll see. It’s a ways away. 

I’ll still be doing the occasional room lookbook and sims requests (they help me generate townies too!).

Maybe MAYBE starting some sort of youtube or twitch account? Idk, sounds scary.

So um, if you made it this far in the post, I hope you’re excited about these changes. It’s bittersweet, but I’m excited too. I’m pretty new to Simblr still, but the friends I’ve made so far have been so sweet and supportive and I am looking forward to growing my blog AND my game! I hope you guys stick around. <3

If you have requests for which makeovers I do first (townie or build!), LMK in the comments, reblog, send me an ask, whatever!! I gotta start somewhere...

[mrmichaelchadler]

Kingdom Hearts III Turns Disney Legacy into Action Gameplay

The long-anticipated “Kingdom Hearts III” is finally here, and it’s both a joyously fun game and a bizarrely designed nightmare. It both taps into one's deep love for the Disney canon like no other game before and made me scream at some of its gameplay decisions. It’s a game I couldn’t stop playing for days on end, and yet I kept waiting for it to truly wow me like it feels like it could have with just a little more love and care. It’s like spending a few days in Disney World in Orlando – you’ll have some really fun memories and you’ll also be just exhausted and ready to go home.

OK, this is going to get a little complicated. While that’s a three in the title, this is technically the twelfth “Kingdom Hearts” game and includes story elements from the releases between 2006’s smash hit “Kingdom Hearts II” and the numerous spin-offs and side games released since then. It takes place directly after the action of 2012’s DS game “Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.” The easy shorthand for the “Kingdom Hearts” world is “'Final Fantasy' with Disney characters.” You explore a fantasy-driven landscape with a protagonist who looks like a “FF” leading man, but you also happen to have Goofy and Donald Duck in your combat party. And the story this time takes you to several worlds inspired by other Disney/Pixar hits.

Here’s where this video game critic traditionally tells you what a game is about. Despite an exorbitant number of lengthy cut scenes, I can’t really adequately capture the “Kingdom Hearts III” narrative in a traditional plot paragraph. It’s built on years of mythology and features a hero named Sora, a villain named Master Xenahort, and even, wait for it, a good guy named Master Yen Sid (Disney spelled backwards). There’s something about Keyblades and hearts and the power of waking and it just becomes numbing for someone not already entrenched in this mythology.

What most people, especially those reading a video game review at a movie review website, are going to care about is the Disney connection. Not only do you travel with fighting Goofy and Donald, but you go to worlds inspired by films from multiple eras of the Disney canon. What could be considered the tutorial stage unfolds in Olympus, complete with characters pulled from “Hercules,” including the titular hero, massive titans, and villainous Hades. Before you know it, you’re fighting alongside Buzz & Woody from “Toy Story” and then Flynn & Rapunzel from “Tangled.” And the gameplay cleverly incorporates the Disney characters int the actual combat. For example, if you’re in the “Toy Story” world, you’ll be able to initiate an attack in which you ride a toy rocket with Buzz and Woody into your enemy. In the Kingdom of Corona from “Tangled,” Rapunzel’s hair becomes part of an attack. The combat gameplay and the way it incorporates beloved characters is consistently changing in fun, unexpected ways. There are even moves you can learn that are based on rides from Disney World. I smiled every time I used the Mad Tea Cups to take out enemies.

Other worlds you’ll visit in “Kingdom Hearts III” include ones  based on “Frozen,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “Big Hero 6,” and here’s where one starts to long for what could have been, with regards to design. Most of these worlds were clearly chosen for the variety of gameplay they would provide in terms of environments. For example, you slide on a lot of snow in Arendelle from “Frozen” and you swim a lot in the one with Jack Sparrow. But the actual world design is lackluster. Arendelle is merely section after section of snowy mountains. Monstropolis is a cut-rate metal level as you explore a nondescript factory. The levels should be as engaging as the production design in the Disney movies that inspire them, but they’re just not. The game often springs to life in truly charming visual ways but then it sinks back into endless waves of reused backgrounds.

I wanted the same vibrancy from the level design that I got from other elements of the game. While I love the mash-up idea of basically spinning through the entire Disney canon in a way that can put Goofy and Buzz Lightyear on the screen at the same time, just tapping that nostalgic vein isn’t enough to overcome the repetitive gameplay and lackluster level design. When the game does give you more, such as in its always-changing combat, it almost reminds you more of how boring it can be for large chunks. Why can’t it all be as fun as the Mad Tea Cups?

“Kingdom Hearts III” also references other Disney characters, allowing you to cook with Remy from “Ratatouille” and unleash an awesome attack that includes Simba from “The Lion King” (two things I enjoyed every single time). It's clear though that the timeline of the game's production required it to stop letting in new characters right around “Frozen,” and that you’ll have to wait for a sequel to explore “Zootopia” or the islands of “Moana.” Despite my misgivings about some elements of this release, I'll totally be there for the next one. Let’s hope we don't have to wait so long. 

from All Content http://bit.ly/2I8cpRT

[baburaja97-blog]

New Post has been published on Vin Zite

New Post has been published on https://vinzite.com/secrets-to-an-amazing-role-playing-game/

Secrets to an Amazing Role-Playing Game

Role-playing games are a very specialist type of game that really need a far greater attention to detail than other less immersive genres. As the computerized version of the genre took off there were a lot of money hungry companies who decided to storm into the genre without really trying to understand what the vital elements of a role-playing game are. In some cases, these companies have actually had the audacity to buy out smaller companies who did know the genre and they destroyed long-held legacies of great traditional games.

Considering that this may have an impact on the future of computerized role-playing games I have felt it be of importance to educate these gaming giants in an effort to help them understand the only thing that matters to them. In order to sell role-playing games you need an audience willing to buy the product and if a company consistently puts out dodgy shooters in the guise of apparent role-playing games they’ll only destroy their reputation and go bankrupt. I know that the word bankrupt is a word that these money hungry companies recognizes and so I emphasize one point, try to sell dodgy shooters to role-playing fans and you will go bankrupt!

Personally, I have been a role-playing gamer for about thirty years and I fell in love with only two systems that I probably can’t name because of article writing guidelines. What I can say is that very few game producing companies have come even close to the pen and paper versions of the best role-playing games on the market, you know, the ones that people actually enjoy playing. I will say that I rejoiced when role-playing games became computerized as it meant I could do my role-playing without the need to hunt for people with similar tastes and even though some games have risen to become great role-playing games, they are sadly few and far between. On that note, of the styles of role-playing games that include pen and paper, computerized games and online games, there is only one type that can meet the fully immersive needs of a role-player and I’ll reveal why later.

Amazing Role-Playing Game

Okay, what are the elements of a great role-playing game then? I’ll give you one at a time but the very most important piece of advice to keep in mind during this whole discussion is immersion. To be a truly great role-playing game, it has to grab the players attention and not deliver diversions that allow the player to slip back into the reality of the real world. The player must be kept in the fictional world if they are to feel that they have experienced a great role-playing game.

One of the most vital elements of immersion is a storyline; a really believable and yet gripping storyline. A role player doesn’t want to load up the newest game and find to their dismay that storyline consists of the flimsy idea that they have to kill heaps of things to get enough experience to kill the apparent bad guy. Who wants to play a game where the bad guy is designated the bad guy without good reason? Have you played a game where you are part of one group of people and you’ve been chosen to defeat the other group of people but there’s no actual evidence that shows why the other group is bad? The worst of these are the recent thug games where one criminal organization wants to defeat another criminal organization and you’re the hitman. Who is really that stupid to fall for such a terrible storyline? It’s certainly not for intelligent role-players.

A good storyline can’t be a shallow excuse for a war and it has to be something you’d want to be a part of. The storyline also has to be included in the gameplay itself and delivered in a way that doesn’t interrupt the reality of the gameplay either. There’s nothing worse than a big cut-scene that drops into the middle of the game and makes you sit idle for more than a minute or two. For role-play games, the immersion of the game comes from being the character, not from watching the cut-scenes as if you were watching television. What’re next… advertisements?

Another part of a great gameplay experience is being aware that you have been a part of the fictional world since you were born. This is conveyed by knowing where things are in the world and knowing who the current leaders are, along with knowing current events. This can be done cleverly by feeding snippets of information in a natural manner during conversations with non-player characters. Some extremely vital information can be revealed in otherwise meaningless banter, just like in the world you’re immersed in right now.

One thing that will jolt a role player out of a game is a sudden unwanted conversation with a hastily introduced character who explains where the next local town is and that you have to be careful because there’s a war on or some such thing. This is only done in games where the maps are updated as you discover places of interest. Making a major city that lies not ten miles from your current position something that you have to discover is ridiculous at best and only suits scenarios where you’ve been teleported into a new reality or you’ve lost your memory although the latter should be used sparingly as there are already too many games out there that rely on the character having amnesia. Discovery can be implemented in far more subtle ways by having secret areas within already well-known places and it is this that gives a role-player a sense of discovery.

Another immersion problem is the introduction of a love interest in a game without any participation on your part. You’re playing away, minding your own business and then all of a sudden, one of the infatuated characters that you never knew existed, has an impact on gameplay because of a supposed vital role they play in the group you’re a part of. They should, at the least, allow a bit of flirting in the conversation paths before a love interest is thrust into the mix. For me, someone suddenly having that kind of interest is an immersion breaker because there was nothing at all that prompted a relationship. If there is a love interest possibility in the game, then it needs to be introduced in a believable way and shouldn’t be out of the characters control.

There was one game in which this happened and the involvement of two love interests was the excuse for one of the non-player characters to do worse at being a support while the other became a great support. Sure, the idea was novel but it was also very childish because it assumed that these two love interests were so enamored with the player that neither could do without him. It was worse than watching Baywatch or Desperate Housewives.

I’m only going to add one more element to the mix because I just wouldn’t reach a conclusion if I allowed myself to point out every requirement of the best role-playing games. As I stated before, the important factor is immersion. A real deal breaker for me is the inability to develop the type of character I want. I’ve encountered this more often than not in games where you have no choice over the skills that your character can develop. Of course, this is the worst scenario and there are many games that allow limited development but there are only a handful of games that allow a real sense of development.

A truly great role-playing game has to allow players to develop in any direction and compensate for this flexibility by incorporating multiple paths through the game. There’s no point in creating a computerized role-playing game if the character does the same thing in every single playthrough of the game. The most annoying of these issues is a game where you can have a spell wielding character but they develop the exact same spells at exactly the same point in every run of the game. It’s a little more forgivable for warrior types but even in this case, there are many games which allow for dozens of different fighting styles.

Now, if I were to continue this discussion I’d add other topics like the renaming of attributes with no good cause, allowing for more than one quest to be given at a time, real world purchase requirements during the game and other ridiculous practices.

I did promise to show which game type was the best for role-playing games though so, here it is. Non-online computerized games are the only games that allow for full immersion and I’ll explain why.

Unlike table-top games, you aren’t interrupted by the requirement to physically reach out and move pieces which take you out of the role of the piece itself. Compared to pen and paper games, you aren’t required to look up tables or enter long boring discussions on how rules should be interpreted. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games don’t meet the requirements either and I know some of you will be surprised but when was the last time you were playing a computerized role-playing game and one of the other players had to leave because they had to go to work and they informed you it was a different time in their part of the world.

Computerized role-playing games are the only role-playing game type where the characters stay in the game, you don’t have to suddenly work out if something is allowable by the rules and the user interface stays consistent so that the immersion is most efficient.

In conclusion, the best role-playing games are stand-alone home computer based and don’t involve interaction with other real world people who will throw a spanner in the immersion works. The storyline must be solid and delivered in a natural manner, a deliverable assumption that your character already knows the fictional world, no instant love interests out of nowhere and the ability to develop your character in any direction seamlessly along with plot paths that allow for these developments.

I only hope that the gaming companies pay attention to this and realize that they are making role-playing games for role-players and if they’re not in the market for role-players, then they should call their games by a different genre.

[hopefulphantomwonderland-blog]

New Post has been published on Pagedesignweb

New Post has been published on https://pagedesignweb.com/secrets-to-an-amazing-role-playing-game/

Secrets to an Amazing Role-Playing Game

Role-playing games are a very specialist type of game that really need a far greater attention to detail than other less immersive genres. As the computerized version of the genre took off there were a lot of money hungry companies who decided to storm into the genre without really trying to understand what the vital elements of a role-playing game are. In some cases, these companies have actually had the audacity to buy out smaller companies who did know the genre and they destroyed long-held legacies of great traditional games.

Considering that this may have an impact on the future of computerized role-playing games I have felt it to be of importance to educate these gaming giants in an effort to help them understand the only thing that matters to them. In order to sell role-playing games you need an audience willing to buy the product and if a company consistently puts out dodgy shooters in the guise of apparent role-playing games they’ll only destroy their reputation and go bankrupt. I know that the word bankrupt is a word that these money hungry companies recognises and so I emphasise one point, try to sell dodgy shooters to role-playing fans and you will go bankrupt!

Personally, I have been a role-playing gamer for about thirty years and I fell in love with only two systems that I probably can’t name because of article writing guidelines. What I can say is that very few game producing companies have come even close to the pen and paper versions of the best role-playing games on the market, you know, the ones that people actually enjoy playing. I will say that I rejoiced when role-playing games became computerized as it meant I could do my role-playing without the need to hunt for people with similar tastes and even though some games have risen to become great role-playing games, they are sadly few and far between. On that note, of the styles of role-playing games that include pen and paper, computerized games and online games, there is only one type that can meet the fully immersive needs of a role-player and I’ll reveal why later.

Okay, what are the elements of a great role-playing game then? I’ll give you one at a time but the very most important piece of advice to keep in mind during this whole discussion is immersion. To be a truly great role-playing game, it has to grab the players attention and not deliver diversions that allow the player to slip back into the reality of the real world. The player must be kept in the fictional world if they are to feel that they have experienced a great role-playing game.

One of the most vital elements of immersion is a storyline; a really believable and yet gripping storyline. A role player doesn’t want to load up the newest game and find to their dismay that storyline consists of the flimsy idea that they have to kill heaps of things to get enough experience to kill the apparent bad guy. Who wants to play a game where the bad guy is designated the bad guy without good reason? Have you played a game where you are part of one group of people and you’ve been chosen to defeat the other group of people but there’s no actual evidence that shows why the other group is bad? The worst of these are the recent thug games where one criminal organisation wants to defeat another criminal organisation and you’re the hitman. Who is really that stupid to fall for such a terrible storyline? It’s certainly not for intelligent role-players.

A good storyline can’t be a shallow excuse for a war and it has to be something you’d want to be a part of. The storyline also has to be included in the gameplay itself and delivered in a way that doesn’t interrupt the reality of the gameplay either. There’s nothing worse than a big cut-scene that drops into the middle of the game and makes you sit idle for more than a minute or two. For role-play gamers, the immersion of the game comes from being the character, not from watching the cut-scenes as if you were watching television. What’s next… advertisements?

Another part of a great game play experience is being aware that you have been a part of the fictional world since you were born. This is conveyed by knowing where things are in the world and knowing who the current leaders are, along with knowing current events. This can be done cleverly by feeding snippets of information in a natural manner during conversations with non-player characters. Some extremely vital information can be revealed in otherwise meaningless banter, just like in the world you’re immersed in right now.

One thing that will jolt a role player out of a game is a sudden unwanted conversation with a hastily introduced character who explains where the next local town is and that you have to be careful because there’s a war on or some such thing. This is only done in games where the maps are updated as you discover places of interest. Making a major city that lies not ten miles from your current position something that you have to discover is ridiculous at best and only suits scenarios where you’ve been teleported into a new reality or you’ve lost your memory although the latter should be used sparingly as there are already too many games out there that rely on the character having amnesia. Discovery can be implemented in far more subtle ways by having secret areas within already well-known places and it is this that gives a role-player a sense of discovery.

Another immersion problem is the introduction of a love interest in a game without any participation on your part. You’re playing away, minding your own business and then all of a sudden, one of the infatuated characters that you never knew existed, has an impact on gameplay because of a supposed vital role they play in the group you’re a part of. They should, at the least, allow a bit of flirting in the conversation paths before a love interest is thrust into the mix. For me, someone suddenly having that kind of interest is an immersion breaker because there was nothing at all that prompted a relationship. If there is a love interest possibility in the game, then it needs to be introduced in a believable way and shouldn’t be out of the characters control.

There was one game in which this happened and the involvement of two love interests was the excuse for one of the non-player characters to do worse at being a support while the other became a great support. Sure, the idea was novel but it was also very childish because it assumed that these two love interests were so enamoured with the player that neither could do without him. It was worse than watching Baywatch or Desperate Housewives.

I’m only going to add one more element to the mix because I just wouldn’t reach a conclusion if I allowed myself to point out every requirement of the best role-playing games. As I stated before, the important factor is immersion. A real deal breaker for me is the inability to develop the type of character I want. I’ve encountered this more often than not in games where you have no choice over the skills that you character can develop. Of course, this is the worst scenario and there are many games that allow limited development but there are only a handful of games that allow a real sense of development.

A truly great role-playing game has to allow players to develop in any direction and compensate for this flexibility by incorporating multiple paths through the game. There’s no point in creating a computerized role-playing game if the character does the same thing in every single play through of the game. The most annoying of these issues is a game where you can have a spell wielding character but they develop the exact same spells at exactly the same point in every run of the game. It’s a little more forgivable for warrior types but even in this case there are many games which allow for dozens of different fighting styles.

Now, if I were to continue with this discussion I’d add other topics like the renaming of attributes with no good cause, allowing for more than one quest to be given at a time, real world purchase requirements during the game and other ridiculous practices.

I did promise to show which game type was the best for role-playing games though so, here it is. Non-online computerized games are the only games that allow for full immersion and I’ll explain why.

Unlike table-top games, you aren’t interrupted by the requirement to physically reach out and move pieces which takes you out of the role of the piece itself. Compared to pen and paper games, you aren’t required to look up tables or enter long boring discussions on how rules should be interpreted. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games don’t meet the requirements either and I know some of you will be surprised but when was the last time you were playing a computerized role-playing game and one of the other players had to leave because they had to go to work and they informed you it was a different time in their part of the world.

Computerized role-playing games are the only role-playing game type where the characters stay in the game, you don’t have to suddenly work out if something is allowable by the rules and the user interface stays consistent so that the immersion is most efficient.

In conclusion, the best role-playing games are stand-alone home computer based and don’t involve interaction with other real world people who will throw a spanner in the immersion works. The storyline must be solid and delivered in a natural manner, a deliverable assumption that your character already knows the fictional world, no instant love interests out of nowhere and the ability to develop your character in any direction seamlessly along with plot paths that allow for these developments.

I only hope that the gaming companies pay attention to this and realise that they are making role-playing games for role-players and if they’re not in the market for role-players, then they should call their games by a different genre.